THE National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) received Tuesday a new vessel specialized in general cargo with a size of 26,000 DWT. The ship was named Bahri Tabuk and it was built by Hyundai MIPO in South Korea. This is the third vessel delivered out of the six vessels that were contracted by the company with Hyundai in 2011 for a total value of SR1.54 billion.



Bahri is an internationally renowned shipping conglomerate specialized in the transportation of oil & gas, petrochemicals, general cargo and dry bulk. It also services the rapidly growing petroleum, petrochemical and infrastructure sectors of the Kingdom. The new vessels are built at Hyundai's MIPO Dockyard in Korea for a price of $70 million for each vessel which have been designed for ultimate efficiency and performance.



The new RoCon vessels are specialized in carrying general and project cargo and several other types of RoRo cargo. These vessels are equipped with heavy lift cranes with a capacity of 240 tons enabling them to load different type of goods. These vessels are unique in their smaller size compared to the current fleet and have more cargo lifting capabilities with lower fuel consumption. It is estimated that these lighter weight new vessels will consume 45 percent less fuel thereby decreasing the fuel cost.



Bahri has three general cargo vessels remaining under construction at Hyundai MIPO in South Korea with delivery expected to take place during 2013 and the first half of 2014. The financial impact of the delivered vessel Bahri Tabuk on the company’s revenue will materialize during the third quarter of 2013. — SG